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Home / News / Business by Press Association 15/02/2018, 2:19 pm FacebookTwitterWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter The Government is set to cash in to the tune of £25 billion as it reaps the rewards of last year’s controversial business rates hike. The amount of money raked in from businesses by local authorities in England is set to rise by £845 million to £24.8 billion for 2018/19. It comes despite a hefty drop in the number of firms questioning their business rates bill, fuelling concerns that a new appeals system makes it harder for companies to lodge challenges. Appeals under the new Check, Challenge, Appeal system reached 12,840 in the first nine months, compared to 169,300 appeals during the first full-year of the previous regime, according to the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS). Altus Group, Britain’s largest ratings advisory firm, is handling 20% of the appeals made so far under the new system. … [Read more...] about Government to pocket a cool £25 billion following business rates hike

The Times and Sunday Times are among the latest publications to get funding from Google’s Digital News Initiative innovation fund. The News UK-owned publisher has received a “large” grant, defined us up to €1m (£900,000) to develop James “an AI ‘digital butler’ that individualises the way content is distributed to readers of The Times and The Sunday Times”.TimelineDecember 15, 2017PA among nine European press agencies calling on EU officials to make Duopoly pay for news contentDecember 5, 2017Youtube announces new bid to stop 'inappropriate content' after concerns about terrorist videos and child imagesNovember 22, 2017Gazette Live readers asked to pick 'best' child in Google picture survey to access child sex abuse article The project is described by Google as follows: “The Times and The Sunday Times believe in the power of their editions. Their readers love the curated order, the finite experience and the editorial … [Read more...] about News UK, Johnston Press and FT among publishers given millions by Google news innovation fund

A leading Google executive has told Press Gazette the US web giant is “very concerned about the news industry” at all levels and committed to “doing more” to help it. The company’s director of news partnerships, Madhav Chinnappa, spoke to Press Gazette for our Journalism Matters podcast at the technology company’s offices off Shaftsbury Avenue – one of two huge bases it has in London.TimelineJanuary 26, 2018Facebook and Google are a 'menace' to society and need more 'stringent' regulation, George Soros tells DavosJanuary 23, 2018Rupert Murdoch: Facebook should pay to carry trusted news brands on its platformJanuary 10, 2018Publishers view Facebook negatively as concerns about big tech companies grow, report shows Press Gazette’s Duopoly campaign has warned that Facebook and Google are harming the journalism industry by sucking up most of the £10bn plus spent on digital advertising annually in the UK. According to media strategists … [Read more...] about Google news chief tells Press Gazette web giant ‘very concerned about news industry’ and plans to ‘do more to help’

Berlin Partner has launched a website in English giving information on how to start up a business in the capital and will take a roadbus to London in October to attract more companies. "The most concrete enquiries are coming from London fintechs (financial technology firms). They are considering a move to Berlin so as not to lose access to the European single market," Berlin Partner Director Stefan Franzke told a news conference on Monday. According to a report last year from accountants Ernst and Young, Berlin attracted almost 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in venture capital investment in start-ups in 2014. There are 100 financial technology firms or fintechs in the capital employing between 10-18 people. Cornelia Yzer, Berlin's Senator for Economics, Technology and Research, has sent out letters to British companies and lobbied start-up founders on the benefits of Berlin. Franzke said he also expected to receive enquiries from international start-ups that were originally … [Read more...] about Berlin business development group reports more enquiries post Brexit

Incorrect news items are nothing new. For decades they've been distributed by nations and individuals and gobbled up by those given to conspiracy theories. But in 2016, "fake news" moved from the outer fringes to the mainstream. It influenced the US presidential election in November and nearly provoked a nuclear crisis between Israel and Pakistan. The term is even widely used now by extremists on one end of the political spectrum to describe news items favorable to their opponents on the other. It's a new war of information, and the goal is owning the truth. In the social media age, construed news stories spread much faster than before and appear authentic. It's a development that can even call cherished values of the Enlightenment into question and endanger democratic structures. We've selected a few of the most apparent examples in the year 2016. At Christmas came this shocker: "Britney Spears is dead!" The source was Sony Music Entertainment's official Twitter … [Read more...] about Fake news highlights – or lowlights – of the year

The Munich-based Ifo Institute said its business climate index, based on a survey of 7,000 executives, edged up from 91.3 in September to 91.9 points in October in its seventh successive monthly increase. The index, seen as a major barometer of the economic mood in Europe, is the latest indication that Europe's largest economy is pulling out of its worst recession since World War II. "The economic recovery continues hesitantly," a statement by Ifo chief Hans-Werner Sinn said. The euro has appreciated 20 percent against the dollar since mid-February and reached a 14-month high of $1.50 this week, eroding export returns. But Sinn said the soaring euro would not dampen companies' outlooks. "Despite the appreciation of the euro, companies see improved export opportunities," Sinn said. Economists say the rise in the Ifo index will boost the recovery in the run up to the end of the year. "The third quarter was a good quarter for the German economy; probably even an excellent quarter," ING … [Read more...] about Business confidence soars to record high

China is showing no signs of stepping back from its vehement opposition to the deployment of the US Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea, despite Seoul's efforts to convince Beijing that it is designed purely to protect South Korean citizens from a belligerent and nuclear-armed regime in Pyongyang. Beijing has reiterated its anger at the proposed deployment of a THAAD battery since a member company of the Seoul-based Lotte Group recently confirmed that it had reached agreement to provide a golf course in Seongju County as the base for the system. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense announced on Tuesday, February 28, that it was taking control of the site for the battery. Within a few hours, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry addressed a news conference, saying Beijing "is firmly opposed to and strongly dissatisfied with" Seoul cooperating with the United States to bring forward the deployment of the THAAD battery and "ignoring … [Read more...] about China targets South Korean business in row over missile defense

One indication of the sorry state of FIFA is the fact that almost everyone sees the circumstantial evidence produced by news magazine "Spiegel" as conclusive proof that Germany bribed Asian FIFA delegates to secure the 2006 World Cup. For the record, what "Spiegel" reported was that: 1) the organizing committee maintained a secret slush fund worth 6.7 million euros donated by an Adidas executive; 2) German football legend Franz Beckenbauer and current German Football Association President (DFB) Wolfgang Niersbach knew about the fund; 3) the DFB later paid FIFA a corresponding sum to underwrite cultural events that never took place, and the money subsequently disappeared; 4) other influential German football figures acknowledged in private, unconfirmed conversations that the money had been used for bribes. In another context such evidence might leave room for doubt that the World Cup was in some sense bought. Where FIFA is concerned, however, it would be naïve to assume that … [Read more...] about Slush fund revelation bad news for Germany, FIFA and football

In intial statements, US corporate heads and business leaders have largely rejected Donald Trump's portrayal of his decision as a needed corrective to unfair climate rules. They often argued that the structural shift in world energy markets towards renewables and away from fossil fuels would continue, regardless of the US withdrawal. Even US oil majors reiterated their support for the endangered agreement. Chevron spokeswoman Melissa Ritchie said her company "supports continuing with the Paris Agreement as it offers a first step towards a global framework," adding that the accord aligned with the company's own policy on carbon emissions. An Exxon spokesman told the news agency AFP that the 2015 accord was "critical" given the rising emissions from India and China. "It's the first major international accord to address climate change that includes emissions reduction pledges from both developed and developing economies," he said. "We believe that the United States is well positioned to … [Read more...] about US businesses at odds with Trump over pullout from Paris accord

"Ten years ago, we held the first Global Media Forum (GMF) here in Bonn - in what were relatively calm times," said DW's Director General, Peter Limbourg, in his opening address on Monday. That was before the financial crisis and the bloody collapse of large parts of the Arab world, before refugees started moving into Europe in large numbers, and before the war in Ukraine, he added. "Nationalism was but a fringe aspect, Donald Trump had a TV show but no nuclear missiles, and but a small minority was dreaming of a Brexit." Times today are more tumultuous, Limbourg said, and that "affects the work of journalists, and foreign broadcasters in particular." There is a direct correlation between the level of national oppression and the use of international broadcasters, the head of DW told the conference. "Broadcasters that are seen to be reliable are at an advantage." Credibility matters This year, the focus is on the digital future in the workplace, GMF Director Patrick Leusch said: … [Read more...] about Populism, ‘fake news’ set to dominate DW’s 10th Global Media Forum